Gate.



, 'PATENTED DB0.' s1, 1907. J. H. WILSON.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3. 1907.

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atkins? No. 875,399. PATENTED DEGVSl, 1907. J. H. WILSON.

GATE.

APPLIQATION'HLBD JULYa.1so'/.

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.w y. uw @1N 1 Suva tot l fj l I I akamu! PATBNTED 1150.31. 1907. 1.11. WILSON.

GATE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 3. 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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wi h1 maca f JAMES H. WILSON, OF MOUNT AYR, IOWA.

GATE

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. s1, 19o?.

Application led July 3. 1907. Serial Il'o. 381x955.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. WILSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Ayr, in the county of Ringgold and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Gate, of which the following is a s ecification, reference being had therein to tlie accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to gates, and the object of the invention is to provide a light, strong, durable and easily operated sliding gate, especiallyT designed for use on farms, said gate being combined with operating mechanism therefor by means of which the gate may be opened and closed by a person on horseback or in a vehicle without dismounting.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide supporting and guiding means for the gate which will insure the easy operation and mani ulation of the gate in all kinds of weat ier, avoiding liability of obstruction to the sliding of gate by reason of the accumulation of mud, snow, sleet and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide operating mechanism of such a character that the gate may readily be thrown open or closed at any point irrespective of the position in which the gate is found 5 also to provide operating mechanism of such character that it will hold the gate either fully open or fully closed, as the case may be.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings -Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gate embodying the present invention, the gate being shown closed. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of the gate operating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a detail cross section through the lower portion of the gate and track, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the gate, showing another form of supporting guide or track. Fig. 5 is an end view of the same. Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, l() and 11 show other forms of supporting tracks which may be used in connection with the improved gate. Fig. l2 is an elevation showing an addition to the gate operating mechanism adapted to be tripped and worked by contact with the wheel of a vehicle.

The referred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Fig. l in which l designates the main body of the gate which may be of any usual or preferred construction for the greater part, and suitably braced, as shown, to prevent sagging.

2 and 3 represent the gate posts, which are preferably composed of two bars each, the said bars being spaced apart wide enough to receive the gate 1 between them. In other words each of the posts is open in the center to accommodate one of the end uprights of the gate, as clearly shown in Fig.I 2.

The bottom rail of the gate is composed of two parallel bars 4 fastened to the uprights of the gate, and the said bottom rail is eX- tended beyond the end of the gate as shown at the left hand end of Fig. l and has a supporting wheel or roller 5 journaled between the parallel bars thereof. The said projecting portion of the bottom rail is also provided with a weight 6 of suitable size which acts to counterbalance the main body of the gate when extending across the gateway between the posts 2 and 3, in the position shown in Fig. 1. Another supporting wheel or roller 7 is mounted between the parallel bars of the bottom rail of the gate near the center of the gate as shown in Fig. l. The rollers or wheels 5 and 7 travel back and forth on a track shown at the left hand end of Fig. l, and under the preferred embodiment of this invention said track is composed of a hori- Zontal supporting rail 8, parallel guard rails 9, at opposite sides thereof, and legs or standards l0, by which the rails 8 and 9 are upheld at a suitable elevation above the surface of the ground, said rails being fastened to the legs or standards. It will -be noted that space is left between the rails 8 and 9 to permit snow, dirt, etc. to readily escape, thus keeping the track clear and free of accumulations. As the wheels or rollers 5 and 7 move back and forth, they act to clear any accumulation from the track, which is thus always maintained in proper condition for use.

and 3, there is a short standard or post Il bifurcated or slotted to receive a horizontally disposed roller 12 on which the bottom About midway between the gate posts 2 v bodies a rock shaft 14 mounted in suitable vrollers are mounted may be a single rail as rail of the gate rests and slides in its movements, and also mounted on said post 11 are rollers 13 arranged at opposite sides of the l bottom rail 4 to hold and guide the gate in its back and forth movements without fricion.

The operating mechanism for the gate embearings 15 on one of the gate posts, as shown in' Figs. 1 and 2, two-gate-throwing arms 16 and 17, and a pair of operating arms 18 and 19. Each of the throwing arms 16 and 17 is connected with the gate at one end by a flexible connection 2O which may consist of a strap or chain, chains being shown in the drawings. One connection 20 extends from the tip of one arm to one end of the gate, while the other connection extends from the tip of the other arm to the opposite end of the gate, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. It will be notedthat the arms 16 and 17 and the connections 2() are so proportioned and of such relative lengths and throw that, when the gate is either fully open or fully closed, the connection attached to the upstanding arm 16 or 17, as the case may be, is a proximately in line with its arm, and there :ore the gate` cannot swing the arms or turn lthe rock shaft, although said shaft may be rocked by hand to throw the gate either open or shut. In this way the gate operating mechanism acts also as a lock for the gate, doing away with the necessity for a latch or other device having the function of a latch. The arms 18 and 19 are for the purpose of manipulating the rock shaft 14 by hand and one or both of said arms may be provided with a handle 21 of suitable length, pivotally attached to 'the arm to hang pendent in position to be grasped and pulled downward or pushed upward as occasion may require.

Instead of the handle 21, a connecting rod orv link 22, may reach from the arm which operates the rock shaft 14, down to a crank shaft 23, as shown in Fig. 12, arranged in the roadway and having an upstanding crank 24. designed to contact with a vehicle wheel, whereby the gate is adapted to be operated automatically as the vehicle approaches the gate or moves away from the same, the said arrangement being duplicated at both sides of the gate for both opening and closing puroses.

Instead of placing the wheels or rollers 5 and 7 on the bottom rail of the gate, they may be mounted on a rail higher up as shown in Fig. 4, and the track may be correspondingly elevated as shown in said ligure. Furthermore, the rail 4 on which said wheels or shown in Figs. 4 and 5, with wheels or rollers` 5 and7 on both sides thereof. In the latter case two parallel supporting rails 25 will be usedmounted'on posts-26 arranged to permit the gate to move between them. l

If desired a track such as is shown in Fig. 6 may be used, comprising a base or supporting rail 27 and side guard rails 28, all made in one like a trough or gutter. To prevent accumulation of trash about such a track the side guard rails may be cut away or notched at intervals as shown at 29, in Fig. 7. Again the supporting rail and guide rails may be arranged as shown in Fig. 8, wherein said rails are all separate and fastened to and upon cross ties 30, such construction permitting trash to readily escape.

A single rod 31 may be used for a track, as shown in Fi 9, mounted on suitable supporting bloc s 32 or their equivalent, in which case the wheels or rollers 5 and 7 will have grooved peripheries, as shown in said figure. Another form of track is shown in Figs. 10 and 11, in which the side guard rails are secured to cross ties 33 arranged very close together to form the supporting rail on which the wheels or rollers travel, a slight space being left between the ties to admit of theescape of the trash.

Other forms of track will suggest themselves and I do not therefore desire to be limited to the use of any particular form of track. lThe form of gate and the general arrangement of parts may also be varied considerably without departing from the principle or sacrilicing any of the advantages of the invention herein disclosed.

I claim:-

1. An endwise sliding horizontal rail, supportin thereby, a supporting rai on which said wheels travel, and gate-operating mechanism embodying a rock-shaft, a plurality of arms extending upwardly from said shaft, andy connections attached at one end to theupper extremities of said arms and at their other ends to opposite ends of the gate.

2.- An endwise sliding gate embodying a supporting rail, rollers or wheels carried by the gate and traveling on said supporting rail, and'gate-operating mechanism comprising a lever having a plurality of arms, and connections leadingfrom the arms of said lever to opposite ends ofthe gate, said arms and connections being so proportioned that they act to hold the gate locked at the limit of its throw.

3. An endwise sliding gate embodying a supportinr rail, wheels carried by the gate and traveling on said rail and gate-operating mechanism comprising a lever,having a plurality of arms, andconnections leading from the arms of said lever to opposite ends of the gate, said arms and connections being so proportionedand disposed-that the connections substantially line up with the arms when the gate is at the limit of its movement, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination with a sliding gate,

gate embodying wheels carried and operating mechanism therefor, of a supporting track embodying a supportin rail and side rails or guards at opposite sie es of the supporting rail, spaces being left for the escape of trash and the track as a Whole be- Witnesses:

ing sustained in an elevated position, sub- A. F. KIRBY, stentially as described. L. W. LAUGHLIN.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 1n presence of tWo Witnesses.

JAMES H. WILSON, 

